


Those Fleeting Moments

by orphan_account



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Concern, Fleets, M/M, Odds, Reaper War, Stress, The Upcoming Battle, reports, ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The fleets, soldiers and civilians of the galaxy gather at the rally point for the final battle deciding the fate of the galaxy. Their greatest hope and hero, commander Shepard has no hope with their odds. Will they beat the reapers in this late hard battle with the might of the galaxy behind them?.





	1. Chapter 1

The fleets in the galaxy were scattered, the reapers destroying or disabling them anywhere they could. Making it seem that no resistance could band together against them. 

 

Truth be told, that wasn't true. Despite being scattered across the galaxy, Shepard had united them fleet by fleet, ship by ship until every surviving ship in the galaxy was backing him and his plan to end the war. 

 

Despite this, Shepard was worried that if they failed, the galaxy would be doomed. The cycle just like most of the others. 

 

Most of the ships that would be gathering and following them would be Geth, Quarians and Civilian fleets with other smaller but just as dangerous fleets from the other races in the galaxy fighting alongside them.

 

Pacing back and forth throughout the bridge, Shepard waited impatiently for the other fleets to arrive at the rally point to begin the final assault. 

 

“Your thinking too much, Shepard”

 

The clear rustic tone startled him, causing him to freeze for a moment as he turns towards the cockpit.

 

“You sure about that EDI?”

 

The tone that followed EDI’'s words was somewhat surprising as he stared out at the check point and ships arriving by the second. 

 

“Your stress levels are higher than what they were after Thessia, so I am 98 percent certain you are thinking too much” EDI’'s cold tone surprised him. 

 

Then again, he rarely if ever challenged her words because she was usually right.

 

“I guess your right” Shepard sighed. 

 

Sagging against the wall, he couldn't believe how little hope he had for their chances. Shepard, himself the savior of the Citadel and galaxy on more than one occasion had little to no hope with their chances, despite everyone they had. 

 

“Commander, most of the fleets have arrived and the rest will be along shortly.”

 

“Thanks Joker”

 

“No problem, Shepard”

 

Heavy silence filled the room after that. As the last of the ships came out of FTL, he more or less hears rather than seen Jokers chair turn around. 

 

“So.. realistically. What do you think our odds are Shepard?”

 

Turning his complete focus to Jokers question, Shepard felt the wheels inside his head start to go into overdrive as he thought of an answer.

 

He noticed what Joker wanted to be told. That they had excellent odds. But he knew Ithat and Joker would too that it was a flat out lie. 

 

“I don't like our odds Joker” Shepard said casually, like it was something he said everyday.

 

“But-”

 

“Despite everything we’ve managed to gather, the people, the ships, the Intel. It jut doesn't seem like enough. Even if we had every ship before they invaded I don't too honk our chances would be that much better. You wanted too hinkle truth, I know what you wanted me to say Joker, but we both know that would have been a lie and for what I've said I'm sorry. The truth does hurt sometimes”

 

His answer was a heavy shocked silence as the orders to enter FTL were given and he left the bridge, heading for his cabin to prepare for his final battle. 

 

“Entering FTL in 3...2...1…”

 

Jokers voice rang clearly throughout the cabin, making him pause to stare at Kaidans ass before he continued dressing. 

 

“Stop staring know isn't the time Shepard”

 

Blinking, he finds himself fully armored and armed, yet his gaze is focused on Kaidan's ass or it was until his voice pulled him out of the trance. 

 

Coughing, Shepard averted his eyes before he cleared his throat and walked past him. 

 

“Ah.. sorry. What can I say? You got a hot ass” Shepard purred, leaving the cabin to his last image of Kaidan standing there shocked. 

 

Moving throughout the ship, Shepard made sure the rest of the crew was ready. Ready for either the end or just the beginning of hell. Almost finishing his crew checklist, Shepard heads to the bridge to finish what the Reapers started.

 

“We're coming for you, assholes. Are you prepared for what's to come? I hope you are. Otherwise you are in more danger then you have ever been” Shepard muttered out loud as he boarded the bridge and nodded at Joker and EDI.


	2. Sword Fleet Attacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gathered Sword fleets begin their assault. Despite this a second force larger then there's arrives to assist them. The war will be won or lost over Earth. With the arrival of new forces Sword fleet might actually survive...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's been done before or even if the Fleet is canon, but regardless I decided to make it and the ship. I hope you all enjoy it. I enjoyed coming up with the fleet and ship. If you want details on either or both contact me.

“Approaching Sol Relay, Commander” Joker’'s calm voice told him. 

 

Adjusting his helmet, Shepard looked out the forward facing window, watching Joker adjust his hat as he did the calculations in his head for the arrival. 

 

“We're through the Relay in thirty seconds” Joker informed him. 

 

“AFT cameras when we exit the relay” 

 

“Aye aye”

 

Tilting his head slightly, Shepards focus went completely on the AFT cameras. Exiting into the Solar System, 

 

It didn't surprise really Shepard to see vessels arriving a mere ten seconds after the Normandy. After all the Normandy was the flagship of this assault, so it made sense for her to lead and they follow. Entire fleets exited around the relay, mixed battle groups of all kinds of races all flew through it like it was a normal day in the galaxy.

 

As the last vessel came through the Relay, the star ships engines boosted, going to full power as they moved further in system.

 

While the Normandy led the charge, the debris from the previous battles were still floating about. 

Shepard shook his head at the sight of the debris of warships around the relay.

 

The site of all the destruction depressed him immensely. So many lives lost, lost so quick everytime someone blinked hundreds ended up dying as a result.

 

His train of thought didn't last long as his attention was brought back due to the bridge lighting up. Jokers screen started to flash with reports he didn't quite understand.

 

“Alliance fleets reporting, Turian fleets reporting, Asari fleets reporting, Salarian fleets reporting, Quarian fleets reporting, Geth fleet reporting, Batarian fleet reporting, Omega fleet reporting, Terminus fleets reporting, Civilian fleets reporting, EX Cerberus fleet reporting.” Joker looked up at Shepard for a moment, an eyebrow raised at the last fleet before tuning his attention back to his screen.

 

“EDI?” He said, his voice a whisper as he listened to the humming of the ship, Jokers forcefully cheerful tone and the beeps of fingers dashing across screens.

 

“Yes Shepard?” Came EDI’'s metallic voice from her little corner in the bridge.

 

“What is the Reapers currently location, what is their numbers and what are they doing?” Shepard asked as he eyed the space in front of them wearily.

 

One moment please. Scan complete. The Reapers have spotted us, their capital ships are holding position so are the Oculus. As for their numbers. The Reapers themselves are neared twenty thousand compared to our two hundred thousand. That is without fighters. With them they outnumber us three to one or better.”

 

Paling, Shepard's head started to pound as he comprehended what EDI just told him. With those numbers… no. I cannot lose hope, if not for myself but for the people fighting by my side to beat this menace. 

 

The number of fleets, the amount of ships and people, still surprised Shepard. He didn't expect for all those people to follow him, to go through with his plan yet here they are. The might of the galaxy standing with him as they face this terror. Yet they were likely following him to their deaths.. he thought miserably. 

 

“Contacts on the move, enemy Oculus are in bound, I repeat in bound. High numbers. Their formation is like a thick sheet of armour.” A voice he didn't recognize said over a comm channel before it died. 

 

“Fuck” Shepard retorted, his hand blurring as he activated his omni tool and pulled up a fleet wide communications channel.

 

“All fleets reporting in Commander, ready to engage on your command.” 

 

“This is it everyone, be ready on my signal” He said calmly, several anxious slow seconds rolling “FIRE AT WILL!” He barked, his focus heading towards one of the windows, watching the vessels fire multiple volleys. 

 

Huffing, Shepard looks up just as a flash flew across his vision. Joker, cursing as the Normandy did a flip indicated that something was wrong and that they just had to avoid something. 

 

“What the fuck was that?!” 

 

“Oculus. Tried a suicide run on the bridge. Wasn't gonna be happening on my watch. No way hozay” Joker said sarcastically.

 

Before Shepard even chuckled a red haze filled the bridges windows, drowning out any visuals for a few seconds. The hull started shaking violently with multiple rounds reported being slammed into the kinect barriers.

 

Shepard watched helplessly as a Turian cruiser was quickly overrun and imploded from the inside. Despite the Gardian defense lasers best efforts, the fleets were struggling to break through the swarm of fighters. The fighters themselves were gunning down more and more of the massed forces as they flew around in the vacuum of space, being chased by the other races combined fighters. 

 

“All ships return fire!!” A old gruff voice shouted over the intercomm. Shepard, jumping at the voice, felt his ADHD kicking in and paces the bridge. 

 

“Divert all power to the engines and get us through the swarm Joker!” 

 

“Right, on it. Let's head into the eye of the swarm.. such a good idea where we will likely die. But hey I'm fine with dying and all” 

 

Jokers rambling of sarcasm puts a smile on Shepard’'s face, the man could be quite funny at times yet he was also right. Without the support of the fleet the swarm would over run them. Quite quickly at that.

 

Before he could say anything, the sky lite up with thousands of mkre rounds as secondary batteries were added to the resistance. The rounds slammed into the fighters, causing mass casualties while clearing a path at the same time.

 

With their numbers dwindling, the fighters pulled back to Earth as the forces chased them. With their weapons still discharging. The Reapers themselves started to move forward, their bulks taking the brunt of the attack. 

 

The moment the Reapers reached the fleet they opened fire taking down hundreds of ships in the opening volley of their lasers. The Normandy, now flying screening positions around the fleet was grazed with fighter rounds and part of a reaper beam. 

 

“SHIT!” Joker exclaimed.

 

“Status report!” Shepard snapped at EDI. 

 

“Multiple hull breaches in the cargo hold, no casualties.” EDI reported 

 

That was close He thought while one of the vessels they just passed was turned into scrap metal. 

 

“Joker, the fleets have fully engaged the Reaper's. They have their full attention. We need to break off immediately.” 

 

“Aye aye. Preparing for decedent.” Joker called out, firing the Thanix cannon along the way to prevent several fighters from stopping him. 

 

With the descent in progress, Shepard quickly turned towards the airlock, only stopping when his name was called. 

 

“Shepard.”

 

Stopping cold in his tracks, Shepard quickly turned around, his eyebrows raised at what Joker was doing. 

 

“Good luck down there” Joker said, his arm snapping up into a crisp salute.

 

“Same to you, Joker. Just make sure she's still here when I return. I would hate to have to lose another Normandy” Shepard Jokes. 

 

“Yeah, yeah I'll make she's still here. Never fear Shepard, she'll be here!” 

 

*********

 

Back at the edge of the Sol system, the mass relay''s arm started to blur rapidly, dropping a massive ship accompanied by a massive fleet of warships.

 

“Admiral!, a fleet of warships are emerging from the mass relay, there formation matches old Alliance pattern's, specifically those used by the eighth fleet.” 

 

“What? That's impossible. The eighth fleet was lost years ago. You must be seeing things Lieutenant.” Hackett said, his usual calm expression one know questioning what the Lieutenant was saying.

 

“I.. I am not sir. The patterns and formation match the eights fleet own custom formation. Even their flagship is there.” The Lieutenant stampers.

 

“They choose hell of a time to show up, Lieutenant. Get me a established channel immediately.” Hackett ordered.

 

********

 

On the bridge of the massive vessel, a tall muscular man stood behind a Flight Lieutenant as she worked. His uniform was an black alliance one he also has black hair with grey running through it as well as a strong jawline and grey eyes, which sometimes switch to green.

“SIR!, we are receiving a transmission from the SSV Everest” 

 

“Patch it through, Lieutenant”. 

 

The screens in front of him flicker for a moment. When they stabilized a man in his early 50’'s piped up on screen, wearing an Admirals uniform. 

 

“Admiral Sherwood, it seems you've shown up in the nick of time like always. Where have you been all these years?” 

 

“We don't have time for that conversation right now, Hackett. Focus on the bloody battle that's going on around you and that device of yours” 

 

Before he could reply the channel went dead, effectively ending the conversation before it became a distraction.

 

“All vessels of the eighth fleet, this is Admiral Sherwood. Get into your assigned battle formations and prepare to jump. Flight Lieutenant, prepare for in system jump.” 

 

“Aye aye, Admiral” Came a nervous woman's voice. 

 

“Calm down, Alice. Breath deeply and make it happen” 

 

“Yes, Father” The young women whispered  
He could tell she was far from just being nervous, but she was one of the best pilots he knew of. She was also his daughter. He hated putting her in danger but he needed her. 

 

Growling in anger, he watches as his ship enter FTL, knowing full well that the eighth fleet was right behind him. 

 

A literal few seconds after its initial jump, The Shadow Of Sherwood the flagship of the eighth fleet comes out of FTL on top of a Reaper battle group.

 

“ Reapers in sight, all batteries fire at will” 

 

**********

 

As the Normandy returned to orbit, Joker couldn't believe his eyes. His eyes went wide with shock as space was filled with fire, like hell had just released its wrath on space. Reapers were fully engaged with what looked like a massive space station, one bigger than the Citadel and firing off so many weapons it shouldn't have been possible yet here it was, a station so large throwing hell into the vacuum of space with its batteries. he had a feeling that wasn't what it truly was. It couldn't be a space station, could it?”.

 

Around the station were Sword fleet and Reaper forces, engaged fully in combat and being destroyed by each other. More of Sword fleet then the Reapers though.

 

“SSV Normandy, get the fuck out of there! A Reaper is converging on your location!” 

 

“Reaper is on our sensors. It's on an intercept course for our stern bow.” EDI said flatly

 

“Great.. just fucking great.” Joker snarled darkly. 

 

“Two more Reapers are inbound from both starboard sides.” EDI informed him. 

 

Cursing, Joker diverted all the power possible to the engines, but no matter how much he diverted, how much was added it wasn't enough. The reapers were just too fast. 

 

“Joker, we cannot outrun them. The Normandy's drive core doesn't produce enough power to give us the speed. The way your diverting power is gonna blow the core!. Then we’ll be in big trouble. Stop adding power to the core! Focus on flying and trying to out maneuver that thing.” Tali said with fear licking her tone. 

 

Before he could repl alarms started to blare all around them, the room falling into a dark red setting.

 

“Multiple Reaper signatures on sensor. They have us surrounded” EDI announced. 

 

**********

“Course correction Lieutenant Sherwood! Headings 7589 by 3581. Divert all axillary power to the engines as needed and get us the coordinates ASAP” Dillian barked

 

His heels spun around immediately, sprinting for the other side of the bridge as he barked out orders over his earpiece. 

 

“Lieutenant Harold! divert battlegroups Omega three, Alpha one, Delta two and Beta five to the Normandy's position in the atmosphere to assist us.” 

 

“Aye aye, sir!” Came the Lieutenant's reply. 

 

“Commander Gérard, Hail the SSV Normandy” 

 

“Sir! Multiple Reapers signatures on intercept course!” A cry came over his intercom, making his ears ring as it pierced through the earpiece. 

 

“Fire the rail guns! Take those bastards out now!” 

 

**********

 

“Where is Shepard?” The deep menacing voice asked again. 

 

“We told you already, we do not know” EDI replied yet again. 

 

“You are lying. Tell us where Shepard is or we will be forced to destroy you.” 

 

A look of clear annoyance flashed across EDI’'s features, clearly annoyed by the same question bring asked time and time again. “As I said before, we do not-”. 

 

An electrical blue wave slammed into the Reapers and the Normandy, shutting both the ships and EDI down for several seconds. “SSV Normandy, this is Admiral Sherwood be. Stand by.” 

 

Multiple explosions rupture along the reaper lines as over a thousand Alliance vessels make a ring like formation around the Normandy, acting like a shield as they filled the reapers with heavy fire.

 

After there initial reboot the Reapers returned fire, destroying dozens ships with there laser mounted weapons as they attempted to get the Normandy back, there voices ringing in the ears and minds of the crew members of the Alliance vessels indoctrinating them slowly ship by ship, one by one until only a few ships remained. 

 

“You shall not escape” 

 

“Oh, I wouldn't be so sure” A cheerful voice said over the radio. 

 

The Reaper that spoke suddenly exploded, a white orb bursting from its general drive core area, causing the thing to go supernova as the same thing happened to the rest of the Reapers. 

 

“Normandy, retreat to docking cradle 325. We’ll repair your hull for you.”

 

“Aye aye, in route” Joker said as he plotted the course and set up the docking sequence. 

 

“Sherwood out” The channel cut as the connection was lost in the swarm. With the docking sequence over, the Normandy was quickly pulled into the ship, patched up and shoved back into combat in under ten minutes. 

 

“Still a long battle ahead Normandy, good luck” A gruff voice said as they went back into the mix of it

 

**********

 

“Sir! Our fleets are under heavy fire! We are taking too many fighter losses! Without more fighters we are gonna be vulnerable to there attacks.” 

 

Hackett was staring hard at the screens rolling across the war room terminal, giving a grunt of acknowledgement as he activated the quantum communicator. The call was immediately accepted as the ship rocked under a heavy impact.

 

“What can I do for you know Hackett?” Sherwood asked distantly. 

 

“We need more fighters out in the thick of it. Do you have any-”

 

“Anymore fighters? Yes I do. I'll launch them immediately. Sherwood out” The call ended just as quickly as it started. Shutting down the communicator his eyes go wide as the number of fighters exiting the Shadow Of Sherwood was unbelievable. 

 

“Sir! The reapers are pulling back around the Citadel! They are really on the run.” 

 

“They are changing tactics.. but why?” Hackett muttered to no one in particular.


End file.
